Love knows no boundaries

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Some people travel the world in search of love, but what better place to meet “the one” than in beautiful Samoa.

Travelling for more than 1000km to reach Samoa’s shores, Jale Koto from Fiji never dreamt that he would meet the love of his life in a foreign country.

Samoa’s beautiful scenery, natural surroundings, coupled with our unique weather is basically his description of meeting the girl of his dreams for the first time.

The Dear Tourist team learned that Jale and his partner are from the same country, but as fate would have it, Samoa was the destination for them to grow in love and learn about each other.

“You see this was the first time for me to meet this girl. Before she came over, we were always talking on the phone and on social media,” Jale said.

“I met her once at the gym back at home and I told myself that I must know this girl.

“Unfortunately, she did not come to the gym the days after that, but memories of her on that treadmill were still vivid in my head and I kept wondering when I would see her again,” he said smiling.

Jale said just when he thought all hopes were lost, he meets his girlfriend again, but this time she walked inside his work place.

“Long story short, I knew that I had to get a hold of her. I added her on Facebook and then we exchanged phone numbers and our conversations developed from there.

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“I found out later that she was coming here, and I told myself that I had to meet her before she left. As you can see, that didn’t really turn out well, so next option for me is to come to Samoa and finally meet her.”

Jale said everything about our island was captivating from the moment he set foot on our shores, especially being greeted by smiling taxi drivers at the Faleolo International Airport before even meeting his girlfriend.

“The number of churches you see as you drive from Faleolo is just amazing. One thing that really caught my attention is the structure of the building,” he said.

“Samoa is quite similar to Fiji in terms of the topography, and friendliness of the locals, but to firsthand experience the Polynesian way of living, especially Samoans, is just amazing, something I will remember when I return home.

“Apia is quite big as well, and if you’re a first timer like me, you would get lost.”

Tourism in Fiji, he said, was quite big and there were lots of things to do for visitors.

“But for Samoa, it depends on the people, what they want in terms of their tourism industry. I think Samoa is beautiful the way it is, and it’s important they preserve their natural surroundings and culture.

“I’ve never been out that much, but from what I have seen, Samoa is just beautiful and the people are beautiful too,” Jale added.

And there’s something about our island nation that has left him wanting more of the island vibe.

So any plans for him to return, without hesitation he said yes.

When asked why he would return, Jale grins and said “I will be back”.

That smile tells a thousand words, so whether his return means sealing their love story in our beautiful island or taking a break from work, only time will tell.